Protective device for doors



Jan. 8, 1963 A. 'r. RUSSO 3,071,953

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR DOORS Filed Aug. 50, 1961 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. @5527 Z Basso BY q E Patented Jan. 8, 1963 3,071,?58PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR DOORS Albert T. Russo, Levittown, N.Y., assignorto The Truson Corporation, Mineola, N.Y., a corporation of New YorkFiled Aug. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 134,879 3 Claims. (Cl. 70--93) providingadditional safety to the occupants of a building, room or compartmentwhich usually require someone inside of the door to lock and unlock theprotective device. Other types of protective devices are adapted to beunlocked from the outside by a person authorized to do so.

The prior art devices of this nature generally are of two types. One ofthese types requiresthat the occupant be on the inside of the door so asto undo the protective device from the inside. The protective devicecannot be opened from the outside and this is desirable from aprotective sense but is undesirable from a convenience standpoint, sinceshould an authorized occupant desire to attain entrance through the doorhe cannot do so and therefore, for example, at night must awaken theoccupant or occupants to have the protective device opened from theinside.

Another type of protective device has been devised which includes meansfor attaching the chain to a fixed member by means of a key actuatedlocking mechanism. However, in the past, these locking mechanisms havebeen in the form of a plug which extends into a vertical bore in acasing, the plug being locked to the casing by a key actuated latch.Since the latch provides the only means securing the plug to the casingand hence the entire device is only as strong as the latch which inactuality is of a relatively small size. Further, these types of devicesare arranged so that the upper surface of the plug can function as ananvil against which a hammer or other striking tool may be struckbreaking the latch whereby the plug can be forced downwardly through thebore of the casing and disengaged from the casing.

The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior artdevices by providing means wherein the protective device may be unlockedby an authorized person from outside of the door yet which is soconstucted as to prevent the shattering of the latch of the protectivedevice by a hammer blow or the like due to the fact that the lockingmember is arranged to be supported at its bottom surface and the latchis not the only support for the locking member.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lockingarrangement for the protective device in which the locking member fitsflush in the housing therefore and the fitting attached to one end ofthe chain conforms to the contour of the housing and fits snugly withina slot provided therefor so that when engaged by the locking memberthere are no protuberances from the housing for simplifying to anintruder the disengagement of the locking member from its securedposition.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention there isprovided a protective door arrangement including a chain with means foradjustably attaching one end of the chain to a door. A housing is fixedto the door frame. tion interconnected by an intermediate portion ofreduced cross sectional dimensions to a lower housing portion having anopening therein. The upper portion and the lower housing portion form inconjunction with the intermediate portion, a slot which receives afitting therein.

This housing has a hollow upper por- The fitting has its contourconforming to the shape of the housing. This is an important feature ofthe invention since the fitting thereby lies flush with the outsidesurface of the housing and this renders it more difficult for anunauthorized person to disengage the fitting. The fitting has anaperture therethrough and a locking member in the form of a barrel isreceived in the hollow upper portion and has a plunger which extendsthrough the aperture in the fitting and into the opening in the lowerhousing portion so that the fitting may be locked in place. A spring isdisposed between the barrel and the lower wall of the upper portion ofthe housing urging the barrel upwardly out of the upper portion of thehousing so that when a key is inserted in the barrel, and the latchingmechanism which holds the barrel to the housing is disengaged, thespring will raise the locking member disengaging the plunger from thefitting and permitting the fitting and the end of the chain to which itis attached to be disengaged from the housing.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of theinvention which will become apparent as the following descriptionproceeds, are, attained by this protective device for a door, apreferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, by way of example only, wherein:

FlG. l is a perspective view illustrating the protective device asinstalled on a door and door frame;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the housing and associatedfitting and locking member;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the plane of line 3-3 inFIG. 2 illustrating the locking member in a latched position;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, but illustrating the lockingmember in a position raised by the spring from its latched positionafter a key has been in serted therein; and,

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the plane of line 55in FIG. 3.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein likereference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views,reference numeral10 generally designates a door of conventionalconstruction such as is usually provided for entrance into a home,apartment, room or the like. The door 10 is mounted within a door frame12. As is usual, the door is provided with a knob 14 and has anysuitable locking device of conventional construction such as keyactuated bolt or the like, not shown, for securing the door and lockingit in a closed position. However, when it is desired to partially openthe door for ventilation, or to permit the. occupant of the home,apartment or room, to observe and converse with others outside of thedoor while providing means for preventing the forceable opening of thedoor 10 by an unwelcome intruder, there is provided the protectivedevice generally indicated at 16 and comprising the present invention.

The protective device for doors 16 is in the form of an auxiliary latchincluding a chain 18 having one end 20 provided with a slide 22 which isengaged within an elongated slot 24 in a conventional guide bracket 26fixed to the door 10 by means of screws 28 or other suitable fasteners.The other end 30 of the chain 18 has a fitting 32 attached thereto whichfitting is provided with an aperture 34 therethrough.

A housing 42 is fixed to the door frame 12 by means of screws 36 orother suitable fasteners extending through flange portions 38 and 40.This housing 42 is preferably integrally cast in a single part and hasan upper housing portion 44, a lower housing portion 46 and anintermediate portion 48 interconnecting the lower housing portion 44 andthe upper housing portion 46. The intermediate portion 48 is of areduced cross sectional dimension thereby forming a slot 50 defined bythe lower wall 62 of the upper housing portion 44 and the upper wall ofthe lower housing portion 46. The fitting 32 is received in the slot 50.The outer configuration of the fitting conforms to the contours of theouter surfaces of the housing 42 whereby when the fitting 32 ispositioned in the slot 50, the outer surfaces of the fitting 32 will lieflush with the outer surfaces of the casing 42. The lower housingportion 46 has an upper wall 54 as well as the lower wall 56. The lowerwall 54 is provided with an opening 58 therein.

The upper housing portion 44 is provided with a recess or cavity 60opening into the top thereof and the lower wall 62 is provided with anopening 64 therein in alignment with the opening 58. The upper housingportion 44 is also provided with a threaded opening 66 therethrough forreception of a set screw 68 which is designed to extend into adepression 70 formed in the peripheral wall 72 of a locking member inthe form of a locking barrel 74. The upper portion 44 also is providedwith a latch opening or slot 76 for reception of a latch 78 carried bythe barrel 74 and adapted to be actuated m a conventional manner uponinsertion of a key 80 to be withdrawn from the locking slot 76 to permitwithdrawal of the barrel 74 from the housing 42. The locking barrel 74has a plunger 82 attached thereto which plunger 82 is adapted to extendthrough the opening 64 and through the aperture 34 in the fitting 32 andthen through the opening 58 into the interior of the lower housingportion 46. This will lock the fitting 32 and hence the chain 18 in itsprotective latched position. One link of the chain can be selected toserve as the fitting for insertion in the slot 50. The plunger 82 willextend through the selected link to adjustably lock the chain inposition. This would eliminate the benefit of the flush arrangement offitting and housing.

The helical coil spring 90 is disposed to bias the lower surface 92 ofthe locking barrel 74 and the upper surface 94 of the bottom wall 62 ofthe upper portion 44 of the housing 42. As soon as the latching member78 has been disengaged from within the latching slot 76, the spring 90will urge the locking barrel 74 to a raised position raised the plunger82 out of the opening 58 and out of the aperture 34 whereby the fitting32 may be removed, disengaging the chain 18 from the housing 42 andpermitting the door to be fully opened. Of course, the upward movementof the barrel will be limited by the set screw 68 so that the barrelwill not be completely disengaged from the housing 42.

It is to be readily understood that the slide bracket 26 can be securedto the door frame while the housing 42 can be secured to the door.Further, it is to be recognized that when the device is in its latchedand protective position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the locking barrel 74seats within the housing 42 and the bottom wall 62 provides a lowermostposition to which the locking member 74 can possibly attain. Further,the spring 90 provides a cushion against blows being struck on itsmember and thereby safe-guarding the entire apparatus.

In use, when it is desired to lock the door against the possibility ofan intruder entering, the fitting 32 is placed in the slot 50 and thelocking barrel 74 is pressed downwardly compressing spring 90. The latch78 extends into the slot 76 and the plunger will extend through aperture34 and opening 58 locking the fitting and chain in closed position.Insertion of the key to release latch 78 from slot 76 will allow spring90 to raise the barrel disengaging the plunger from within the apertureof the fitting 32.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure and in some instances some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scopeof the invention herein.

I claim:

1. In achain lock for securement to a door and a door frame which may beopened from the outside of the door including a chain, a guide bracket,means for mounting said guide bracket on a door, an elongated slotformed in said guide bracket, and a slide on a first end of said chainfor engagement with said bracket and within said elongated slot; theimprovement comprising a lock housing, means for mounting said housingon a door frame, said housing formed at the upper end thereof with avertically oriented cavity sized to receive a lock cylinder, ahorizontal slot formed within said housing below said cavity, a verticalopening formed in said housing extending from said cavity into said slotand downwardly into the portion of said housing below said slot, a lockcylinder mounted within said cavity for vertical movement between alocked and an unlocked position above said locked position, said lockcylinder having a retractable latch and said housing having acooperating latch opening formed within said cavity, said latch and saidlatch opening defining said locked position, spring means biasing saidlock cylinder upwardly into said unlocked position, a verticallyoriented plunger rigidly secured to said lock cylinder extending throughsaid vertical opening and movable with said lock cylinder into and outof said slot, and a solid chain fitting secured to the second end ofsaid chain and sized to be intimately received within said slot, saidfitting having a plunger-receiving opening formed therein for releasablysecuring said chain to said housing, said first end of said chain beingremovable from said slide from the inside of the door and said secondend of said chain detachable from said housing from the inside and fromthe outside of said door by unlocking said lock cylinder to withdrawsaid plunger from said slot and from said fitting.

2. In a chain lock for securement to a door and a door frame which maybe opened from the outside of the door including a chain, a guidebracket, means for mounting said guide bracket on a door, an elongatedslot formed in said guide bracket, and a slide on one end of said chainfor engagement with said bracket; the improvement comprising a lockhousing, means for mounting said housing on a door frame, said housingformed at one end thereof with a cavity sized to receive a lockcylinder, a transverse slot formed within said housing adjacent saidcavity, a plunger-receiving opening formed in said housing extendingfrom said cavity into said slot and into the portion of said housing onthe other side of said slot, a lock cylinder mounted within said cavityfor axial movement between a locked and an unlocked position, saidcylinder having a retractable latch and said housing having a latchopening formed within said cavity, said latch and said latch openingdefining said locked position, spring means biasing said lock cylinderinto said unlocked position, a plunger rigidly secured to said lockcylinder extending through said opening and movable with said lockcylinder into and out of said slot, and a solid chain fitting secured tothe other end of said chain and sized to be intimately received withinsaid slot, said fitting having a plunger-receiving opening formedtherein for releasably securing said chain to said housing, said one endof said chain being removable from said slide from the inside of thedoor and said other end being detachable from said housing from theinside and from the outside of said door by unlocking said lock cylinderto withdraw said plunger from said slot and from said fitting.

3. In a chain lock for securement to a door and a door frame which maybe opened from the outside of the door including a chain, a guidebracket, means for mounting said guide bracket on a door, an elongatedslot formed in said guide bracket, and a slide on one end of said chainfor engagement with said bracket; the improvement comprising a lockhousing, means for mounting said housing on a door frame, said housingformed at one end thereof with a cavity sized to receive a lockcylinder, a transverse slot formed within said housing adjacent saidcavity, a plunger-receiving opening formed in said housing extendingfrom said cavity into said slot, a lock cylinder mounted within saidcavity for axial movement between a locked and an unlocked position,said cylinder having a retractable latch and said housing having a latchopening formed within said cavity, said latch and said latch openingdefining said locked position, spring means biasing said lock cylinderinto said unlocked position, a plunger rigidly secured to said lockcylinder extending through said opening and movable with said lockcylinder into and out of said slot, and a solid chain fitting secured tothe other end of said chain and sized to be intimately received withinsaid slot, said fitting having a plungerreceiving opening formed thereinfor releasably securing said chain to said housing, said one end of saidchain being removable from said slide from the inside of the door andsaid other end being detachable from said housing from the inside andfrom the outside of said door by unlocking said lock cylinder towithdraw said plunger from said slot and from said fitting.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

3. IN A CHAIN LOCK FOR SECUREMENT TO A DOOR AND A DOOR FRAME WHICH MAYBE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE DOOR INCLUDING A CHAIN, A GUIDEBRACKET, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID GUIDE BRACKET ON A DOOR, AN ELONGATEDSLOT FORMED IN SAID GUIDE BRACKET, AND A SLIDE ON ONE END OF SAID CHAINFOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BRACKET; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A LOCKHOUSING, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID HOUSING ON A DOOR FRAME, SAID HOUSINGFORMED AT ONE END THEREOF WITH A CAVITY SIZED TO RECEIVE A LOCKCYLINDER, A TRANSVERSE SLOT FORMED WITHIN SAID HOUSING ADJACENT SAIDCAVITY, A PLUNGER-RECEIVING OPENING FORMED IN SAID HOUSING EXTENDINGFROM SAID CAVITY INTO SAID SLOT, A LOCK CYLINDER MOUNTED WITHIN SAIDCAVITY FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN A LOCKED AND AN UNLOCKED POSITION,SAID CYLINDER HAVING A RETRACTABLE LATCH AND SAID HOUSING HAVING A LATCHOPENING FORMED WITHIN SAID CAVITY, SAID LATCH AND SAID LATCH OPENINGDEFINING SAID LOCKED POSITION, SPRING MEANS BIASING SAID LOCK CYLINDERINTO SAID UNLOCKED POSITION, A PLUNGER RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID LOCKCYLINDER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING AND MOVABLE WITH SAID LOCKCYLINDER INTO AND OUT OF SAID SLOT, AND A SOLID CHAIN FITTING SECURED TOTHE OTHER END OF SAID CHAIN AND SIZED TO BE INTIMATELY RECEIVED WITHINSAID SLOT, SAID FITTING HAVING A PLUNGERRECEIVING OPENING FORMED THEREINFOR RELEASABLY SECURING SAID CHAIN TO SAID HOUSING, SAID ONE END OF SAIDCHAIN BEING REMOVABLE FROM SAID SLIDE FROM THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR ANDSAID OTHER END BEING DETACHABLE FROM SAID HOUSING FROM THE INSIDE ANDFROM THE OUTSIDE OF SAID DOOR BY UNLOCKING SAID LOCK CYLINDER TOWITHDRAW SAID PLUNGER FROM SAID SLOT AND FROM SAID FITTING.